The Police Force in the North of Ireland
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) / Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI)
Name change RUC in PSNI Autumn 2001
Creating an accountable and reliable police force out of the old and
discredited RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) is one of the central yet
unsolved problems of the peace process. The change of name into PSNI (Police
Service Northern Ireland) in autumn 2001 was unfortunately not going along
with any significant change. The structures which made the RUC a major
problem from the time of their creation in 1921 on are still there:
elementary rights of irish and catholic citizens are systematically
violated; harrassment of people belonging to the "other side" and
cooperation with loyalist death squads are still reality. The police force
still has the backing of an emergency legislation for their human rights
violations. Missing accountability is still one of the major problems.
>>>> 22.2.2007: Castlederg - Ombudman to explain complaints procedures available against PSNI officers <<<<
>>>> 22.2.2007: Torture in police holding centres and Diplock courts - "a distinct feeling of unease"
Special Sinn Féin Ard Fheis on "Policing and Justice" on January 28, 2007 in Dublin:
Analysis:
>>>> 4.2.2007: Sea change in Northern politics
Voices from the Ard Fheis:
>>>> Martin McGuinness proposing the Ard Chomhairle motion at the Extraordinary Ard Fheis
>>>> Laurence McKeown: Policing debate another historic milestone in evolution of republican strategy
Further coverage, speeches and videos on >>>> Sinn Féin website <<<<
Operation Ballast: Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan publishes report on 22. January 2007
"... Senior RUC officers are understood to have been implicated in the
biggest-ever policing scandal to hit Northern Ireland. With the Government
braced for an uproar over how a state agency allowed a terrorist unit to
kill Catholics and Protestants, files have been sent to the Director of
Public Prosecutions ... (PA, 21. Jan 2007)
>>>> 21.01.2007: Police was running UVF gang
>>>> 19.01.2007: The victims - Over ten years left nineteen people dead - Police gave licence to kill
>>>> 19.01.2007:
Marc Thompson (Relatives for Justice): Don't stop on the bottom rung of collusion ladder
Intensive negotiations ahead to restore assembly:
>>>> 02.01.2007: Gerry Adams explains Irish-Republican strategy: Sinn Féin wants to achieve maximum change
>>>> 29.12.2006: Sinn Féin to hold Ard Fheis (party conference) on policing
>>>> 03.03.2006: Comparable collusion in South Africa and Tyrone
>>>> 02.03.2006: Gerry Adams backs father of UVF victim
Light is shed into police/secret services role in collapsing institutions in the North of Ireland in 2002:
>>>> 11.01.2006: Vincent Browne (Irish Times): "The dog ate my homework"
>>>> 17.12.2005: Expelled member of Sinn Féin was British spy -
British role in collapsing Executive exposed
>>>> 15.8.2005: Andersonstown RUC barracks demolished: "Dancing at the crossroads - slán to the bad old times"
PSNI Chief Constable accusations throws peace process into crisis:
>>>> 24.1.2005 Spooks, Robbers and Dirty Tricks
- by Martin McGuinness
>>>> 14.1.2005 Intelligence, opinions and illusions
- an analysis by Laura Friel
>>>> 14.1.2005 Killing the process
Report of the Canadian judge Cory published:
>>>> 02.04.2004 RUC trained loyalist assassins
>>>> 02.04.2004 Focus on victims of a 30-year dirty war
>>>> 29.03.2004 183 loyalist attacks in one year...
>>>> 12.07.2003: Gerry Kelly (Sinn Féin) interviewed on policing by the North Belfast News
A recent police scandal is the death of the only witness to the brutal murder
of young postman Danny McColgan in January 2002. A columnist of the Belfast
based Newspaper Andersontown News summarizes the events resulting in the
death of the witness:
>>>> 24.01.2002 Andersontown News: "Squinter: Sorry, what was that again?"
Scandal about RUC handling of Omagh bombing: in addition to the Ombudswoman's
report on ignoring warnings previous to the bombing an internal police
investigation showed that hundreds of investigation files has been
fabricated by the RUC:
Nuala O'Loan is Ombudsman and responsible for dealing with complaints against
the police. The creation of an Ombudsman's office was agreed in the Good
Friday Agreement. In autumn 2001 she released a report on the actions of the
police in connection with the Omagh bomb of the dissident republican
splinter group "Real IRA". The report contains severe accusations against
the Chief Constable and the special police unit "Special Branch". The
Special Branch has ignored warnings about the bomb coming from their own
agents. In the aftermath of the bombing witness reports vanished and
investigating policemen where actively stopped by the Special Branch.
Incredible enough unionist politicans and British officials of the NIO
(Northern Ireland Office) slammed the Ombudsman, tried to undermine her
credability and backed the Chief Constable Ronny Flanagan. Without success.
Flanaghan resigns from office end of March 2002.
>>>> 19.01.2002 The Guardian: "Police fabricated 375 files of Omagh investigation"
>>>> 06.01.2002 Former RUC officer:
"Special branch muddied probe"
>>>> 13.12.2001 Andersontown News: "WE SAY: A vital choice to make"
>>>> 12.12.2001 an analysis by Jim Gibney (Sinn Fein): "Surprise? What Surprise?"
>>>> 12.12.2001 Amnesty International demands an independent inquiry into the murder of William Stobie
>>>> 12.12.2001 Report of the Ombudswoman on Omagh: "Victims stunned and Chief Constable defiant"
>>>> 29.11.2001 Gerry Adams: "Why Sinn Fein opposes the current policing structures"
>>>> 12.05.2000 Lucky that one cop had a conscience
>>>> Jim McCabe "Building Truth, Justice and Rights for all."
>>>> 20.09.1999 "Why a new policing service is badly needed"
- the ongoing discussion about Patten
